Dramatic improvements in educational outcomes, better adult employment, increased wages, taking more leadership roles as adults – all of these outcomes started with being sponsored as a child. Research on over 10,000 individuals in developing countries from University of San Francisco economist Bruce Wydick and others confirmed the overwhelmingly positive impact child sponsorship has long term by following sponsored and unsponsored children in similar circumstances well into adulthood. (The sponsorship program studied uses a sponsorship model similar to that of MCM.)

“Child sponsorship also appears to be the great equalizer in education: In areas where outcomes are worse, … impacts are bigger.” Overall in the countries studied (including Uganda), “sponsorship makes children 27 to 40 percent more likely to complete secondary school, and 50 to 80 percent more likely to complete a university education.”

Lasting improvements in employment, earnings, independence and leadership qualities of those sponsored as children over those who were not sponsored was also found. “As a development economist, I am used to seeing very modest outcomes from aid programs,” said Wydick, “but we were amazed at the size of the impacts on these kids.”

“The patient nurturing of self-worth, self-expectations, dreams, and aspirations may be a critical part of helping children escape poverty,” the study suggested. They concluded that “the key to ending poverty resides in the capacity of human beings—and their view of their own capacity—to facilitate positive change.”

Aspirational hope – a vision for the future and the sense of agency to achieve it – this is a gift you can offer to children trapped in poverty!